Facebook tries to lure more businesses to Messenger with AR, AI capabilities

At its F8 developer conference, Facebook announced the launch of AR integration and M translations for Messenger. The new AR feature will help Facebook meet its goal of making Messenger more visual.

In addition to basic AR functionalities, the Camera Effects Platform is coming to Instagram, in a closed beta for now. We see hints of that at Facebook's event today, where the company introduced M Translations, an AI-powered tool that automatically translates languages into the user's default language. ASUS will be bringing the "unboxing experience" to life with the ability to get a deeper look at phone features and functionalities, and Kia will give people looking to buy a auto the opportunity to customize and get up close and personal with the Kia Stinger.

Yet on Messenger, efforts to work with businesses and brands are just getting started, Facebook said in a blog post announcing the new features.

One of the key differentiators for people and businesses using Messenger is the ability to connect and reach people around the world. At launch, translations from English to Spanish (and vice-versa) will be available in Marketplace conversations taking place in the US. The feature will be rolled out in the U.S. gradually over the coming weeks, and Facebook will continue to add languages and countries. Kia will use it to let people try customizing the Kia Stinger. Facebook plans to roll out the feature to other countries, with additional languages, sometime in the future. Messenger is gaining momentum at scale as we continue to invest in new platform features and improve existing ones thanks to the feedback from our community.

Facebook also announced that it is updating its AR creation software AR Studio.

Facebook is partnering with Sketchfab.

Instagram will also receive an AR update, with Facebook extending its camera effects developer tools to the photo sharing service.

Though Facebook shuttered its M chatbot in Messenger earlier this year, sources say the company shifted its focus for the product, instead intending it to launch in the smart speakers, among other things.